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**The walleye daily bag limit is 6 fish. A 15" minimum size limit for walleye remains in effect for the entire season. The Lake Erie daily bag limit for yellow perch is 40 fish. The daily bag limit for black bass on Lake Erie is 5. The minimum size limit for black bass on Lake Erie is 14". The steelhead trout bag limit 2. The minimum size limit for steelhead is 12 inches.**
Fishing information based on reports from the week of 10/02/2006.
Western Basin
Fishing effort directed towards walleye has greatly decreased as western basin anglers have switched to perch fishing. Some success has been reported 3 miles W of Rattlesnake Island in 31’ of water. Drifters are using mayfly rigs or weight forward spinners, while most trollers are using worm harnesses or spoons with jet or dipsy divers, and crankbaits.
Yellow perch fishing has produced good numbers of fish in the Western Basin, but on average fish have been under 9”. Over the past week the best areas have been 25’ of water on Cone Reef of the Camp Perry range, S of Green Island, S of Rattlesnake Island, E of Kelleys Island Shoal, and E of the Kelleys Island airport. Perch spreaders with shiners fished near the bottom produce the most fish.
Smallmouth bass should start moving shallower as water temperatures drop heading into fall. Fish rocky drop-offs and reefs around the Bass Islands and Kelleys Island along with nearshore areas from Catawba Island to Sandusky Bay to find active fish. Tube jigs and drop shot rigs with goby imitations are the most popular set-ups for smallmouth. Central Basin Walleye fishing from Huron to Lorain has been good as the fish continue to migrate west. Farther east most fishing effort has been directed at yellow perch. Walleye have been taken on the Huron dumping grounds, between the Vermilion dumping grounds and the sandbar at the 37/24 lines, and around the weather buoy on the north end of the sandbar. Fish have been caught on worm harnesses or spoons trolled with dipsy divers or jet divers, and also on deep diving crankbaits. Yellow perch fishing is excellent in the central basin in 27’ of water off of the Vermilion breakwall, off of the condos E of Vermilion near Beaver Creek, within 1 mile of Avon point, 3 miles N of Cleveland (E. 72nd St. lighthouse) in 42’ of water, 2-3 miles N of Euclid in 38-42' of water, 2-3 miles N -NW of Fairport in 40 to 50’ of water, and 2-3 miles N of Ashtabula 40 to 50’ of water. Fish have ranged from 7 to 12 inches. Perch rigs with shiners fished near the bottom have produced the most fish. Smallmouth bass fishing has been good along the shoreline from Fairport Harbor to Conneaut in 15 to 25’ of water. Fish have been caught on goby color tube jigs, goby color drop-shot rigs, jigs tipped with minnows or leeches, or by trolling crankbaits. Steelhead fishing has been good in the Vermilion River, Rocky River, Euclid Creek (Wildwood State Park), Chagrin River, Grand River, Arcola Creek, Geneva State Park, Conneaut Creek and along the Conneaut west breakwall. Shore anglers are using small spinners and spoons, and jigs and maggots rigged with a split shot under a light bobber. Lake Erie surface temperatures range from 58 to 62 degrees.
Source: ODNR |